Memories of a lifetime
by lappstift
Summary: Miaynore is a half-elf with a difficult childhood and complicated relationships. Today, she lives adventures through a land almost unexplored and occasionally recalls facts of her life. This is an original story from the collection of her memoirs.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

 **This is an original story (mine!). Please do not copy.**

 **This story is also being posted on the Portuguese channel; If you wish to translate to some other language, check with me first. :)**

 **Thank you and good reading.**

 **-**

CHAPTER 1

Sitting at a corner table and drinking a hot beer, Miaynore watched the movement of the people in the inn. Wearing lighter, more comfortable clothing than her usual battle suit, she enjoyed a quiet afternoon after a day without work.

She watched as Stubby Pinkins inhaled smoke from his pipe and exhaled with a smile in his face and completely relaxed, while the waitress served him another mug of dark and strong-smelling liquid. She moved her eyes around the room and saw Lucian Alaric, a little further, offering chocolates to Elektra. She happily accepted, of course, and turned her attention back to what she was doing, while Lucian kept talking about his adventures. She seemed busy bending over various papers with complex notes about diseases and blood samples...

 **Blood.**

 _"They are just humans, my baby. You should not suffer for ending their miserable lives. They are, in fact, grateful to you for this. You are so merciful, my baby. I am so proud of you."_

Miaynore turned her eyes to her own mug. Remembering your early years was something that hadn't happened in a long time. Remembering her mother was even more rare. The sweet, low, hypnotic voice, the neutral face almost deprived from expressions, eyes that revealed nothing about her thoughts, the light and cold smile she used either to praise the deeds of her beloved children, either to devour slaves. Pophedeir gave her many memories during the twenty years they lived together... Not always good. Almost never good.

 _"They are here for this, little sister. Our entertainment."_

Aru. Her half-brother. The cruelest being she had the unpleasantness of knowing. Just remembering the cold sound of his voice, the clear malice in his eyes and the constant mischievous smile... She felt shivers down her spine. Leaving the fortress of Pophedeir, at south of Solace, to live with her father, Rowraek, in the dense forests of the east was the best decision. She was so afraid to end up like him.

Miaynore stood up, left a few coins on the table and discreetly headed to her room.

"I need to buy a house." Sighed low. She missed the forest. The smell of wood after the rain, to lie down on the grass and look at the bundles of sunlight through the trees, to close her eyes and listen to the birds. "Yes. It has to be in the forest."

Looking out the window, Miaynore began to think about her family. The family she loved. Her father, her stepmother, her half-sister, Zinynore... Aelamin... She missed him. Was he all right? Did he miss her too? She sighed again. For some reason, she began to think about the villagers who lived around her mother's fortress. Those people were helpless. They needed hel... No! She **didn't** want to go back. She **would not** go back. It was no longer her problem.

"I need a new mission." She mumbled rolling her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**

 **This is an original story (mine!). Please do not copy.**

 **This story is also being posted on the Portuguese channel; If you wish to translate to some other language, check with me first. :)**

 **Thank you and good reading.**

 **-**

CHAPTER 2

 **Miaynore:**

The clash of swords woke Miaynore up that morning.

 _"Was it my imagination?"_

Again, she heard the sound of the metal clashing heavily, followed by a few applauses and impressed murmur. Mia slipped out of the soft sheets and lifted reluctant, yet curious, of her comfortable bed. Carefully not to wake Ziny, her half-sister whom she loved with all her heart, she slipped around the room to look out the window.

The sisters' room had a privileged view. Of course, being daughters of an important army general, they did not have to share a room. His father's house had enough chambers to accommodate the whole village if needed. They wanted to share the room. After years of solitude, they finally met.

Her eyes reached the courtyard, where the General usually found himself training or lecturing for young elves. Further ahead, the refined staircase of polished white marble that led to the valley town where they lived. She could see the market, the musicians, the craftsmen and, in the horizon, deep waterfalls that came from within the dense forest that surrounded and protected the city of the outer world. It didn't matter if it was dawn or sunset, the sight always made her impressed.

That morning, her father - or General, as he preferred - was once again demonstrating techniques with the sword. She smirked.

"Show off." She whispered smiling.

A small audience of young soldiers and passers-by watched the clash. This time a new young man Miaynore had never seen was his rival. He looked good. But her father was better. Obviously. Probably a very young elf wh... He made a soft, almost imperceptible, movement to the right as her father swung his sword. Miaynore could almost see her father losing balance and falling to the ground in front of everyone. She jumped forward with her hands flat on the window and her face almost against the glass, her breath caught in her chest. And then... Something happened. The young elf looked up. Directly to her. With a mischievous little smile, he turned his attention back to General and slid back to the starting position taking the hit. He fell on the floor. Her father had won. It all lasted only a millisecond, but it didn't looked like. Miaynore was confused.

 _"But ... What was that?"_

 _-x-_

 **Aelamin:**

That was the day. He was going to prove to the General that he could beat him and receive the promotion he had longed for. That bet was already won.

 _Previous night:_

 _In an open hall surrounded only by tall marble columns, drinking soft wine underneath the starry sky and moonlight, on a table with various fruits and breads, served in fine delicate platters of gold and silver with minute carvings of precious stones, were the General and Aelamin._

"Aelamin, my boy, I have you as a son. You know that. I've been training you personally since you've proven you have enough potential to wield a sword. But here among us... You are not an adult yet. I will not send a child to the front."

"General Rowraek, I'm not a child. I know that. You know that. There is no one in our army more capable than I am. Even the other generals recognize this."

"No one? Are you sure about that?" _Rowarek reaised the right eyebrow._

"But of course. Try me."

 _The General scratched his chin as he thought. He looked to the horizon and said without ever looking away._ "Do you know what is the most important in this life, son?"

 _Aelamin looked at him confused._ "Excuse me?"

"I asked if you know what is the most important in this life." _Rowraek repeated, still staring at the nothing in front of him._

"The most important thing for me is to prove my worth."

 _Rowraek smirked, shook his head and glanced at Aelamin._

"We are elves, boy. You will have plenty of time to prove your worth. Chill and do not be in such a hurry to die, because it will not happen in a near future. Not while I'm here." _He placed a hand on Aelamin's shoulder in a friendly - almost protective - gesture, after a slight squeeze, he stood up._ "Good night, boy."

"How about a bet?" _Aelamin shooted in one last attempt._ "A bet?" _Rowraek turned around and arched an eyebrow._ "A duel of swords. If I win, you'll send me to the front. If I lose, you do as you wish and I will never contest it again." _Aelamin looked at his mentor expectantly. Rowraek sighed. "He will never give up..."_

"Okay. Tomorrow, at dawn, on my courtyard. No excuses." _And he headed for his house._

When Aelamin reached the courtyard, the General was already waiting for him. With his face closed and composed, he said nothing.

"Good morning, Gener…" Rowraek invested without waiting for Aelamin to finish. By little, very little, he managed to draw his sword and deflect the blow, otherwise the left thigh would bleeding a lot...

"Straight to the point, huh?" Aelamin resumed as the General surrounded him, like a predator circling it's prey. The inscrutable eyes, the heavy countenance. "Very well. Come on, General! I'll prove I'm ready."

Rowraek attacked. Hard, heavy and precise strokes. Moving too fast. Almost too fast for Aelamin to follow. Hundreds of years of experience in duels and battlefields, against a hundred years of training. Was this the same general who had trained him for all these years? He didn't recognize those patterns of movement. He had never seen those blows before. Aelamin was stunned, but he would not admit it. Never!

The two continued for awhile. The morning settling in and with it, other elves began to leave their homes for their chores. Some of them crowding to watch the show. It was always a spectacle to see the general teach a lesson to the younger elves.

Aelamin was getting tired. The general, it seemed, had done nothing in the last few hours. He kept quiet, his face closed, saying absolutely nothing and worst of all, he did not look anywhere near getting tired. Aelamin exhaled heavily and looked away. He saw a silhouette. A female silhouette. That was Zinynore's room, but that was not Ziny. Her black hair was short, her skin pale, red lips, her delicate hands on the window. She looked directly at him. Who was she? He saw her smile as she turned her eyes _"What color will they be?_ " toward the general.

 _"THE GENERAL!"_

The young elf quickly returned his attention just in time to see general Rowraek preparing for a new attack. He had done that before. Aelamin smiled inwardly and only took a discreet step to the right. It was enough to win! That was when he noticed a movement happening above his vision. The girl looked worried. Almost as if she wanted to shout something to stop the general.

 _"Did she notice? How?"_

She looked back at Aelamin almost in despair. That was when he remembered the audience around. He smiled at her. The General couldn't lose. Not there. Not like that. He returned to his position to take a hit and went to the ground with his sword rolling away from his hand.

The General smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**

 **This is an original story (mine!). Please do not copy.**

 **This story is also being posted on the Portuguese channel; If you wish to translate to some other language, check with me first. :)**

 **Thank you and good reading.**

CHAPTER 3

Walking fast and awkwardly by the corridors because of the cuffs at her feet, Calisto balanced with a tray made of gold filled with fruit, breads and treats. She stopped in front of a large, thick wooden door with a large dragon's head spitting fire carved into it.

Almost knocking over the tray in the process, she balanced everything in her left hand and slammed the door twice with her other hand.

"Come in." A cold male voice sounded from inside the chamber. Calisto pushed the door with difficulty and stepped inside.

"You are late today, Calisto." The chamber was dark and Calisto couldn't see where he was. She felt herself tremble inside but entered the room.

"Forgive me, master. Do you want me to open the curtains?"

Silence.

"Master?" Calisto, still holding the tray in her hands, asked in a trembling voice. _"Is he going to punish me? Please, God, please. Don't let him hurt me."_ She repeated in her thoughts like a mantra.

"No. That is good. Leave breakfast on the table." The master's deep, cold voice sounded again. Paused and low.

Calisto already had the map of the room in her head. She approached the table like she could see where she was going. Set the tray on the table and headed to the door.

"Do you wish for anything else, master?" She asked obediently, praying for a refusal.

"Bring me my sister." Calisto bowed and left the room closing the door.

In the training room, Miaynore practiced with her quarterstaff. Two other men accompanied her in training. She spinned the quarterstaff with her right hand and passed behind her body to her left hand, still spinning. She made this move a few more times before the man on the left came up against her. She blocked the blow, stepped back, and levered the underside of the staff up against the man's chin. He went to the floor unconscious.

The second looked for a gap to invest, but her posture gave no opening. He stood still, feet slightly apart, knees bent and body leaning forward. The man seemed ready to run away. Miaynore made the decision for him and started running toward him. The man's eyes widened and he tried to defend himself against a blow that never came. Miaynore pretended to slap the quarterstaff in his face, but then she anticipated a little and directed the staff to the floor. Leaning against it, she threw his body and, as the man positioned his arms to defend his face, she kicked his abdomen, using both feet, forcibly away.

Calisto came into the room just as the man was flying toward the pillar on her left. She ignored it as if she was already used to it.

"Milady. Lord Aru requires your presence." the servant murmured in a low voice and subservient pose. Her body was erect, hands prostrate in front of her body joined by the fingers, never looking directly at Miaynore.

"I'm not available." Mia said in a bad mood. Calisto looked up sheepishly, her face contorted in agony. "Please, my lady. Don't let me come back to him with a negative response."

Miaynore looked at her with pity. Her brother would not like it... And since they were not allowed to fight, he would unleash his frustration on Calisto. "Let's go." Calisto smiled, releasing the air. "Thank you, my lady."

Through the corridors, the slaves rushed out of the way, lowered their gaze and bowed as Miaynore marched wide toward Aru's room with Calisto a little further behind, following her hastily with a little difficulty. When they arrived, before Callisto could knock on the door, Miaynore burst into the room.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

A low, mocking chuck coming from the back of his throat echoed through the room. "Are these ways of talking to your older brother, little sister?" Aru's veiled threat didn't go unnoticed by Mia. She stood silently staring at him in the dark.

The slave trembled behind Miaynore. "You can go now, Calisto," Mia said in a low, soft voice, looking over her shoulder. Calisto was walking backwards, when Aru screamed, "I did not say she could go!" Calisto froze in place. Her hands began to tremble and her eyes immediately filled with tears.

"She brought me here, Aru. You don't need her services anymore." Miaynore said putting herself ahead of Calisto as a shield, almost as if the gesture might prevent her brother from hurting the poor slave.

"You do not know that." Aru said, coming closer. He smirked and resumed, "Come on in. Have breakfast with me, we have not talked in a long time, little sister."

Miaynore **hated** when he called her little sister.

"I already had my breakfast. Unlike you, I don't pretend to sleep until half the day." Mia snapped.

"I do not want to eat alone today. It will be you or Calisto, little sister." Aru smirked again. "Open the curtains, please Calisto." Miaynore surrendered. Aru widened his smile. It was so much fun to bend his little sister to his wills using the slaves. It always worked.

They sat at the table and Calisto began to serve them. It was a small round table of dark marble, just like almost everything in Aru's room. And in Aru himself. Sitting in front of him, they stared at each other. Aru grinned and Miaynore frowned. They were physically alike. Long dark hair, very pale skin, delicate features and pointed ears characteristic of the elves. However, they were half-elves. The only difference were the eyes. Miaynore had beautiful bright blue eyes, while Aru had their mother's eyes. A light red caramel tone that gave the impression of being on fire. Calisto finished and prostrated herself further, holding a pitcher of wine.

"How is life, little sister?" He asked, placing a grape in his mouth. "The usual." she replied.

Silence.

Aru turned his eyes to the window facing the horizon and said "Forty."

Miaynore stared at him confused, but didn't say anything waiting for him to continue. He turned to her, lifted his glass of wine as if making a toast, and took a sip of it staring at her all the time.

"Is it your birthday today, Aru?" How had she not remembered? Well... It's not like they're close or they loved each other. He nodded. "Congratulations, _brother_." The word forced it's way out of her throat. She wasn't used to being familiar with him. As long as she could remember, Aru had never been the most loving of the brothers. Surely he would not win the "Best Oldest Brother of the Year" award. Especially after abandoning her at the age of 3, crying and hungry, in a forest full of Orcs.

"Thank you."

Silence.

"Sing, Calisto." Aru said softly. Which seemed very strange to both of them. Intonation was different. He wasn't ordering. He was really asking Calisto to sing for him. They looked at each other quickly and Mia nodded at her encouragingly.

It was the master's birthday. A cheerful song maybe? He did not like happy songs. "Oh, maybe..." Calisto let her melodious voice echo inside the chamber. A song about pirates exploring the world and living adventures. Aru leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes appreciating Calisto's voice as Mia pinched a loaf of bread. The song came to an end and Calisto stopped singing. Immediately, Aru threw a heavy candlestick upon her face. "I do not remember ordering you to stop, Calisto." he said with a low and quiet voice, though threatening, as if nothing had happened. Nothing had happened to him. Miaynore jumped in the chair, startled. She was about to get up to help the slave when she saw Aru's gaze on her. She came back and sat in the chair again.

Calisto began another song in a low, trembling voice. Her eyebrow bleeding. "No, no, no. This is not the slave I chose to entertain me. Your voice sounds awful, my dear. Let's go. Sing." Aru still staring at Mia. The affected smile still on his face. Calisto started to feel nervous. Untuned and missed the song. Aru stood up and Miaynore immediately stood up with him ready to protect Calisto. She wouldn't let him intimidate her again.

He moved toward the slave when Mia interrupted him. "Aru... Brother. The day is beautiful today. Why don't we go out for a walk? A race through the forest of the Orcs? We haven't competed in a long time, have we? If I remember correctly, you lost last time." He turned to her. "If **I** remember correctly, **you** poisoned me and left me behind." They stared at each other.

"Enough with family reunion. Get out, Miaynore." He started walking toward Calisto, who was now curled up on the floor crying, looking desperate to Miaynore. "Do not forget to close the door on your way out."

Miaynore felt a desperation rise in her throat. _"He's going to kill her."_ She tried to think of something else as she watched him approach the servant. "Aru, please, don't. Let her go. Don't hurt her." He laughed.

 **"They're here for this, little sister. Our entertainment."**

Miaynore felt like throwing up.

"Get out, join me, or join her. _Baby._ " He hissed in a voice filled with malice and sarcasm.

Miaynore ran out of the room as she heard Aru's perverse laughter echoing in the corridors of the fortress mingled with Calisto's cry for help and despair.

She never saw Calisto again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**

 **This is an original story (mine!). Please do not copy.**

 **This story is also being posted on the Portuguese channel; If you wish to translate to some other language, check with me first. :)**

 **Thank you and good reading.**

CHAPTER 4

Inside a crib, a baby with black hair, white skin, bright blue eyes and pink cheeks cried. Miaynore, a few months old, had woken up to eat again.

"I'm here, my baby." A hand caressed the baby's head and Mia opened her small bright eyes to find a familiar face, with two amber irises and a small smile. She smiled at the woman caressing her head.

Pophedeir, Miaynore's mother, carefully removed her from the cradle and sat down on the bed.

"Come in, Aru." Pophedeir's cold voice rumbled inside the chamber - even before he could knock on the door - with her eyes on Miaynore, who was now giggling at her mother. Meanwhile, the heavy bedroom door opened to a young half-elf with long black hair, very pale skin, and eyes like Pophedeir's.

"Mother." He greeted her, but she did not respond.

"Be brief; I'm busy." She smiled back at Mia, who now - curious - tried to turn around to see who had entered the room.

Aru smiled falsely. "You have a visit. Your child's father is here." he hissed.

Pophedeir looked at him for the first time, with a burning gaze. "And you, obviously, allowed him into the fortress." Aru just smiled back at his mother.

After feeding Miaynore, Pophedeir put the drowsy baby back into the crib. As she turned, she looked directly into Aru's eyes - so similar to her own - and began to walk toward him. Stopping beside her son, never looking at him, she murmured in a very low voice, "Do not wake her." Before leaving the room to find the visitor.

Aru stayed in the room, in silence, watching the crib at distance. After a full minute, he closed the door behind him and walked toward the place where Mia was sleeping. He stood there, watching her breathe rhythmically as she slept. "So easy ..." Aru thought. He looked over his left shoulder to the door. "So easy..." He thought turning his eyes to Mia. He sighed with a strange smile. Distorted. Aru murmured in a low voice, as if he was telling a secret to his half-sister. "You know, little sister," he hissed. "Life can be very long, when you belong to a race like ours. Maybe... "He seemed to ponder,"Maybe it's more fun to see you grow up and... Break you... Little sister."He finished after a little pause with a bigger smile, sliding the long, pale forefinger over Mia's innocent face.


End file.
